Jewish Memorial
Mayor Klaus Mies (l.) and Gerald Stern unveil the Jewish Memorial in
front of the old town hall.
Jewish Memorial as a Reminder Against Forgetfulness
A „reminder against forgetfulness” is how Mayor Klaus Mies
described the new Jewish Memorial that was ceremoniously dedicated on November
10th, 2013. Approxixmately 300 people attended the ceremony, among them were
many descendants of the former Jewish citizens of Montabaur who fell victim to
the Nazi regime during the holocaust.
The civic meeting room in the old town hall was filled to
capacity, with some of the onlookers spilling through the entryway and onto the
stairs, and many others also standing outside in the large market area. In his
welcoming speech, Mayor Klaus Mies noted that he was impressed by the
overwhelming interest in the Jewish memorial shown by the citizens of
Montabaur. He began by greeting the guests of honor. They came as guests of the
town, and traveled from as far away as Israel, the United States, Great
Britain, France, and also parts of Germany in order to take part in the
ceremony dedicating the Jewish Memorial.
They are all descendents of the Jewish holocaust victims from Montabaur.
The mayor also welcomed the various political representatives, members of the
town council, the keynote speakers, and the sculptor, Hans-Bernhard Olleck.
Serving as the musical accompaniment for the ceremony were the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
male choir, and the woodwind musicians from the Anne-Frank-Realschule. In his
speech, Mayor Mies recalled the events that occurred during the Kristallnacht in
1939. “The Jews that were living in Montabaur at that time were rounded up and
brought to the town hall. It was from there that they were taken to a
collection camp in Kirchär.” The 75th anniversary of the Kristallnacht occurred
on November 9th, 2013, which is why a conscious decision was made to dedicate
the Jewish Memorial on November 10th. In choosing a location for the memorial
the town council made the deliberate decision to place it right in front of the
old town hall. This was done because it was at that point that the Jewish
citizens were forced to gather, and from that point that they were forced to
leave. Mayor Mies ended by saying “We install this memorial today as a
“reminder against forgetfulness”, so that such an injustice will never again
occur.
Dr. Hermann-Josef Roth, a local historian and son of
Heinrich Roth, the mayor that was forced out of office by the National
Socialist party, recalled the history of Judiasm in the Rhineland palatinate.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, continuing up until the present, he mentioned
time and again the ability of Jews and Christians to coexist. The Jews had
other customs, a different language, and were always very educated. “Someone
who was different and successful, that fed a rising tide of jealousy and hate.”
According to Dr. Roth, this memorial can only fulfil its purpose “when we no
longer ostracize anything that is foreign, no longer envy success, no longer
malign good intentions,” Gerald Stern, whose father Alfred Stern was sent to
England on a Refugee Children Movement and was the only member of the family to
survive the holocaust, had some moving and very personal words to deliver.
Stern, who lives with his wife and children in England, described
his first trip to Montabaur with his family in 1999. “At that time there was no
trace of the thriving Jewish community that existed in this town. We were quite
saddened by that fact.“ Since that time Gerald Stern dedicated himself to
erecting a Jewish memorial, and found a worthy comrade-in-arms in a former town
council member, Paul Widner. They also joined forces in the placement of the
Stolpersteine, remembrance plaques placed in front of houses once inhabited by
Jewish citizens who were forcefully removed. “I am grateful to the town of
Montabaur for erecting this monument at this location. Now my family also has a
place to grieve“. As a sign of
appreciation, he presented Mayor Mies with a framed certificate from the der
Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Center, in recognition of the contribution
made by the town of Montabaur in remembering their Jewish citizens who were
murdered during the Jewish holocaust.
Afterwards, Rabbi Bernhard Koschland spoke. But before he
repeated the Jewish Kaddisch, or mourning prayer, he reminded everyone present
that they should make a commitment to remembrance: “One must always do all that
is possible to ensure that the memory remains, and not forgetting requires that
one remains active”.
Because many of the guests came from English speaking
countries abroad, Mike Clarke, a teacher at the Mons-Tabor-Gymnasium,
interpreted much of the spoken text into English.
After the speeches everyone was invited to go outside.
There, Gerald Stern and Mayor Klaus Mies unveiled the memorial. The sculptor,
Hans-Bernhard Olleck then explained his thoughts and the meanings of the
memorial’s features.
Here you can see more pictures of the unveiling ceremony: Picture gallery
Info about the background
of the Jewish memorial and the detailed explanations given by the artist you can read here:
Background
of the Jewish MemorialJewish Memorial for Montabaur
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